Get the latest updates from 2010 Training Camp straight from the source, newyorkislanders.com

Wednesday, October 06, 2010
12:30 P.M.

UNIONDALE - The team skated in two separate sessions today with just enough of a break for the ice to be cleaned. Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro (scheduled) did not skate in the second hour, although Nathan Lawson (on IR) did.

-Dyan LeBourdais

Wednesday, October 06, 2010
10:50 A.M.

UNIONDALE - As of now, the Islanders still have 25 players on their roster, not including the players on Injured Reserve. In accordance with NHL regulations, the Islanders will need to cut two more players by the 3 p.m. deadline.

Tuesday afternoon, the Islanders acquired right wing Michael Grabner off of waivers from the Florida Panthers. Look for a story later today.

All of the Islanders on the current roster are on the ice this morning. The following list includes the line combinations for the forwards:

Monday October 4, 2010
1:40 P.M.
Scott GordonAfter the team got off the ice from their skate this morning, the media met with Islanders coach Scott Gordon. With 27 skaters still at Training Camp, the Islanders still need to trim their roster by four. As expected, everyone wants know the status of Islanders rookies Calvin de Haan and Nino Niederreiter.

This is what Gordon said:

“Calvin (de Haan) and Nino (Niederreiter) will probably be discussions throughout the week. I don’t think anything is written in stone. They’re certainly showing why they were first round picks, and I think that whether they’re here for the whole season, or they’re here for nine games, or for less than nine games, or they’re gone on Wednesday, we’re happy with what we have. We just have to figure some things out with what we want to do and what’s the right decision.”
-Dyan LeBourdais

Monday October 4, 2010
12:00 P.M.
Injury Update: Islanders forward Rob Schremp will be out three-four weeks with a lower back strain. Islanders rookie Nino Niederreiter is being evaluated today after receiving a two-handed slash on Saturday in Quebec City.

-Dyan LeBourdais

Monday October 4, 2010
11:20 A.M.

Islanders Training Camp: After five exhibition games, the Islanders have trimmed their roster to 27 skaters. They will need to trim their roster by four more players on Wednesday to abide by NHL regulations.

PEPSI COLISEE, QUEBEC CITY – Upset by Cammalleri’s performance the second period, the Islanders squad really wanted to make sure the Canadiens knew they weren’t happy. Islanders tough guys Jeremy Yablonski and Micheal Haley dropped the gloves a few seconds after Montreal’s Tomas Plekanec scored the team’s fifth goal of the night. The fight sent five men (three Isles, two Canadiens) to the box.

The Canadiens scored their sixth goal of the night (third on the power play) at 13:28 after Islanders defenseman Mark Katic took a penalty. Lars Eller scored Montreal’s seventh goal of the game at 16:48.

At 18:40 the Islanders netted their second goal when Jesse Joensuu took a pass out front of the net from Anders Eriksson. Jed Ortmeyer also assisted.
-Dyan LeBourdais

Saturday, October 2, 2010
9:24 P.M.

Third period recap: Islanders 2, Devils 1

The Islanders had their first power play opportunity of the game at 15:01 as Anton Volcheckov received two mintues for tripping.

The three stars of the game were:

1. Blake Comeau
2. Rick DiPietro
3. Josh Bailey.

Happy Birthday Josh.

-Katrina Doell

Saturday October 2, 2010
9:00 P.M.

INJURY UPDATE: Niederreiter will not return with a bruised leg after taking a slash from Cammalleri in the second period.

-Dyan LeBourdais

Saturday October 2, 2010
8:40 P.M.

Second Period Recap: Islanders 1, Canadiens 4

PEPSI COLISEE, QUEBEC CITY – In the second period, the Islanders took a few more penalties and centerman Tomas Plekanec was able to take advantage of the situation, netting the Canadiens fourth goal of the night 22 seconds (6:15) after Isles defenseman Mark Katic went to the box.

Despite a 5-on-3 advantage at 3:29 (which lasted 1:26 seconds) the Islanders weren’t able to get any pucks past Canadiens goaltender Carey Price.

Michael Cammalleri was ejected from the game at 16:52 after he two handed Nino Niederreiter at center ice. The Canadiens received a five minute penalty for Cammalleri’s play, saying there was intent to injur.

At the end of the period, shots on goal were tied at 15.

-Dyan LeBourdais

Saturday. October 2, 2010
8:31 P.M.

Second period recap: Islanders 2, Devils 1

As a very slow period was winding down, a cross-ice pass from John Tavares found the stick of Blake Comeau who lifted the puck over Johan Hedberg’s shoulder to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead at 17:25.

Other than that, there was not much to say. Not one penalty an only 8 total shots in the period.

Last night, the Isles picked it up late in the game to put some real pressure on the Devils. They will need to convert that pressure tonight to get a W.

-Katrina Doell

Saturday October 2, 2010
8:00 P.M.

First Period Recap: Islanders 1, Canadiens 3

PEPSI COLISEE, QUEBEC CITY – The score at the end of the first period reflects a different game that was out on the ice inside the Pepsi Colisee. The Islanders have been playing with a lot of momentum. Their hearts are definitely in the right place.

Some notables on the period include the assist on Jon Sim’s goal (10:55) by rookie forward Nino Niederrieter and the great play by Dean McAmmond late in the period which gave Jesse Joensuu a great opportunity for a one-timer on Price.

The Islanders took a few penalties during the period, allowing Montreal to control a lot of the play. Unfortunately, they were able to capitalize, netting their third goal of the game at 15:49 when P.K. Sabban took a slap shot from the point.

Michael Cammalleri (3:25) and Benoit Pouliot (4:55) were also able to find the back of the net, giving the Canadiens the early lead. After catching the Isles out of position, Legace had no chance at saves when quick passes, chemistry and experience come in to play.

The Islanders got on the board first again, when Josh Bailey scored off a pass from Doug Weight at 5:46. In what can be described as a beautiful goal, Weight drove around the net and spun off a pass to Bailey who was skating to the crease. It’s Bailey’s first goal and point of the preseason. Weight had two assists last night.

Zach Parise scored his fourth goal of the preseason and tied it up for the Devils at 13:06 off assists from Henrik Tallinder and Ilya Kovalchuk. Going into tonight Parise was tied for second in the league for points with Ottawa’s Chris Campoli.

The Islanders started looking solid on the forecheck, and the Devils looked sharper on their passing as the period progressed.

COLISEE PEPSI, QUEBEC CITY – Moments before the players come out of the dressing room for pregame warmups, it's time to wish Islanders defenseman Bruno Gervais an early happy birthday. He's about to take the ice in the split-squad scrimmage at the Pepsi Colisee versus the Montreal Canadiens. The trip is really a return home for the defenseman, who turns 26 tomorrow.

“My parents are coming down to watch the game. It’s always good to see them,” Gervais said.

A native of Longueuil, Quebec, Gervais played quite a few games at the Colisee during his junior career when he played in the QMJHL for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan so he knows the arena is going to be packed with awesome hockey fans.

“We know it’s going to be sold out over there, so we know it’s going to be a good crowd,” Gervais said about playing in the Pepsi Colisee. “We know how passionate they are about the game and that they want a hockey team over there, so it will be a good experience.”

Growing up, the Canadiens were Gervais favorite team to watch.

“I saw the rivalry between Quebec and Montreal first hand,” said the defenseman from Longueuil, Quebec. “The Canadiens were always my team growing up.”

Most of all, Gervais is looking forward to tonight’s matchup.

“It’s going to be an intense game,” Gervais said. “We all want to prove what we can do and the same thing on the other side. I know they have a good line up over there. So it’s going to be a good game.”
-Dyan LeBourdais

Saturday, October 2, 2010
4:30 P.M.
COLISEE PEPSI, QUEBEC CITY – The Following list is the roster for the Montreal Canadiens.

Tonight is the Islanders second set of split-squad exhibitions. Concluding the Isles games this preseason is the team’s only preseason home game at Nassau Coliseum and a trip to the Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City.

On Long Island, the Islanders will have the opportunity to beat the New Jersey Devils in their second game of a home-and-home. After the Islanders took the early lead in last night’s contest at the Prudential Center, the Devils came back with four-straight goals. In the end, Matt Moulson netted two, making the final tally 4-3. The Devils have a 2-0-3 record this preseason.

Look for the Islanders’ newest defenseman Mike Mottau to play in his first exhibition game of the preseason against his old team tonight. Also, look as Islanders forward Rhett Rakhshani and defenseman Calvin de Haan have one last opportunity to show the coaching staff they are ready to play in the NHL this season.

The Islanders second split squad will travel north to face the Canadiens, who are playing in their last of seven preseason contests tonight. The Canadiens have a 3-3-0 record thus far. Keep an eye on Islanders rookies Travis Hamonic and David Ullstrom as they prepare for their first seasons of professional hockey in North America. Mikko Koskinen and Manny Legace will be the goaltenders headed to Quebec; whoever get’s the start in net will be looking at his first start of the preseason.

Thus far the Long Island based team is 0-3-0 this preseason, losing to the New Jersey Devils (4-3) on Friday night and to the Calgary Flames (3-2) and Philadelphia Flyers (3-1) on Wednesday evening. Expect Scott Gordon to trim the Islanders roster substantially on Sunday or Monday.

Be sure to check back with the Islanders Training Camp Blog soon. After the morning skates, we will have the expected line combinations for the final games of the Islanders preseason.

-Dyan LeBourdais

Friday, October 1, 2010
10:45 P.M.

Game Recap: Islanders 3, Devils 4

The Islanders suffered another tough preseason loss at the hands of the Devils, going down 4-3 at the Prudential Center.

“I think we had some struggles with the puck coming out of our zone. I thought we got better in the offensive zone as the game went on,” said Islanders head coach Scott Gordon. “I thought that we had some good looks in the offensive zone on the power play.

“Penalty killing was, obviously the first one was pretty good,” Gordon continued. “We lost the faceoff and they scored right off it, so the second one we didn’t get much of an opportunity to show anything. We had some guys that need to be better.”

It was good to see Dougie (Weight) get in there and play like himself. He made some nice plays- Scott Gordon

Even though Gordon thought the Islanders struggled a little bit, the first period started off well, with Jesse Joensuu netting the Islanders first goal at 1:38 after a rush down ice and a pass from Islanders captain Doug Weight. Unfortunately the momentum from the early lead didn’t last and the Islanders had trouble taking advantage of their chances.

Coach Gordon thought the Isles captain, coming back from a shoulder injury which required surgery in the off season had a pretty good game. “I thought Dougie (Doug Weight) played well in his first game back, which was obviously encouraging,” Gordon said.

Gordon added, “It was good to see Dougie (Weight) get in there and play like himself. He made some nice plays.”

A few minutes later (5:05 of the first), Devils centerman Jason Arnott scored with a one-timer off a pass from Andy Greene, going over Roloson’s left shoulder to tie up the game. The Islanders then got a little special teams practice earning both a power play and penalty kill, but at 14:14 Zach Parise scored an even strength goal giving the Devils the 2-1 lead.

In the second period, the Islanders entered their second penalty kill of the game when they were called for too many men on the ice at 7:36. Just as Trevor Gillies went to the box to serve the penalty, the Devils Brian Rolston tallied their third goal of the game right off the faceoff at 7:44.

A few minutes later, the Devils tallied their fourth goal of the game (12:14) when Jason Arnott got his second goal past Dwayne Roloson. The assist going to Ilya Kovalchuk.

The Islanders finally were able to capitalize on their third power play opportunity of the game after keeping the puck in the Devils zone for the majority of the man advantage when Jamie Langenbrunner went to the box for roughing at 12:51.

And at the tail end of the power play (14:28), Islanders forward Matt Moulson scored his first goal of the preseason and the Islanders second goal of the game after completing a special teams rotation in front of the net, receiving a pass from Doug Weight, which was set up by Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan.

“Actually, I thought (Moulson) played well,” said Gordon. “I thought those guys (Moulson and Nielsen) for the most part had a pretty good game.”

Even though the Islanders lost, it was a great night for Moulson as he scored his second goal of the game at 11:18 of the third period, closing the gap with the Devils 4-3. Dean McAmmond (on professional tryout) laid out a pass from inside the faceoff circle to Moulson who took the shot out front of Brodeur, igniting a fire underneath the Islanders in the final minutes of the game.

With just 1:07 left on the clock, Gordon called a timeout, pulling Roloson from the net so the Islanders would have a 6-on-5 advantage for the final minute of play. Although the Islanders weren’t able to put a puck in the back of the net, they sure gave everything they had trying to tie it up.

Moulson, who was happy to finally to put a few goals in the net said, “I hope I score two goals every game for the whole season. That would be a lot of goals and hopefully transpire in to a lot of wins, but I think personally I have a lot to prove to a lot of people this year. So I think no matter what it is, a scrimmage, preseason, I want to score goals and I want to win.”

The Islanders will have their chance tomorrow night when they end their home-and-home with the Devils on the Coliseum ice. Faceoff is at 7 p.m.
-Dyan LeBourdais

NEWARK, NJ – The third period was a bit uneventful for the Islanders until Matt Moulson scored his second goal of the game at 11:18, closing the gap with the Devils 4-3. Dean McAmmond (on professional tryout) laid out a pass from inside the faceoff circle to Moulson who took the shot out front of Brodeur, igniting a fire underneath the Islanders in the final minutes of the game.

The Islanders pulled Roloson in the last minute of play trying to net one final goal to tie up the game. In the end, the Islanders lost 4-3.

Shots that period: NYI 8, NJD 9, with a game total of NYI 26, NJD 28.
-Dyan LeBourdais

Friday October 1, 2010
8:30 P.M.

Second Period Recap: Islanders 2, Devils 4

NEWARK, NJ – The second period started out with a bang, Trevor Gillies dropped the gloves with Matthew Corrente at 3:17, ending in a draw. Both men received five minute majors for fighting.

The Islanders entered their second penalty kill of the game when the Islanders earned a penalty for too many men on the ice at 7:36. Trevor Gillies went to the box to serve the penalty, but right off the faceoff, the Devils tallied their third goal of the game at 7:44 when Brian Rolston netted a goal assisted by Travis Zajac and Zach Parise.

At 9:07 Devils centerman Adam Mair earned a penalty for elbowing, sending the Islanders on their second power play of the game. They couldn’t produce.

A few minutes later, the Devils tallied their fourth goal of the game (12:14) when Jason Arnott got his second goal past Roloson. The assist went to Kovalchuk.

The Islanders third power play of the game came at 12:51 when Jamie Langenbrunner went to the box roughing. Finally the Isles were able to capitalize on their opportunity after keeping the puck in the Devils zone for the majority of the man advantage.

Islanders forward Matt Moulson scored his first goal of the preseason and the Islanders second goal of the game on the power play after completing a special teams rotation in front of the net, receiving a pass from Doug Weight. Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan also assisted.

At 16:55 the Islanders entered their fourth power play opportunity when Andy Greene received a penalty for interference. They came up empty.

The Islanders outshot the Devils in the second period 11 to 7 with a two period total of NYI 18, NJD 19.
-Dyan LeBourdais

Friday October 1, 2010
7:45 P.M.

First Period Recap: Islanders 1, Devils 2
NEWARK, NJ – The first period started really well, with Jesse Joensuu netting the Islanders first goal at 1:38, after a rush down ice and a pass from Islanders captain Doug Weight.

The first shot for the Devils came more than four-and-a-half minutes into the first period, which was quickly followed by a one-timer from Jason Arnott, going over Roloson’s left shoulder to tie up the game. Arnott scored off a solid pass from Andy Greene at 5:05.

Patrik Elias earned the first penalty of the game at 7:31 for holding, sending the Islanders on their first power play, led by rookie defenseman Calvin de Haan. While the Isles kept the puck in the Devils defensive zone for most of the two minutes, the Isles attempts were unsuccessful.

The Islanders went on their first penalty kill at 10:33 when Jed Ortmeyer went to the penalty box for slashing. The defense could have looked a little cleaner, but Roloson did a good job in net, making three saves.

Unfortunatly, the Islanders couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities that first period. Instead, Zach Parise scored the Devils second goal of the night at 14:14. Travis Zajac and Alexander Urbom assisted.

With all the new faces in the Islanders dressing room, the players are all still trying to get to know one another. That fact rings true , especially all the players that have accepted professional tryouts with the Islanders, including Jed Ortmeyer, Dean McAmmond, Krys Kolanos and Manny Legace, all of which will see ice time in the Islanders third exhibition game later tonight at the Prudential Center.

“There are a handful of guys from each team (of the split-squad teams) in this game, so it’s my first time getting to know a few of the guys,” said Ortmeyer. “They left the other day before we got on the ice, so I didn’t get to meet everybody, so I’m still putting some names with faces.”

The Omaha, NE, native played last season with the San Jose Sharks, tallying a career high eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points, earning a +4 plus-minus ranking and 37 penalty minutes in 76 regular season games.

Prior to joining the Sharks Organization, Ortmeyer played two seasons with the Predators and five seasons with the Rangers. Shortly before graduating from the University of Michigan, Ortmeyer signed with the Rangers as a free agent on May 10, 2003.

After a long professional career, this surely isn’t Ortmeyer’s first time at Training Camp, so he said he’s going to treat tonight just like any other exhibition game. Although, he said being on professional tryout makes things a little different.

“You treat it just like any other camp, obviously you have to learn a few names a little quicker, but you come in and try to get involved as soon as possible, learn as much as you can and soak it up so you don’t mess up on the ice too much,” Ortmeyer said.

As for tonight, the 6’0, 190-pound forward, said he just wants to try to show the coaches he’s been paying attention in practice and has learned the Islanders system. He added, “Obviously I want to show that I have a good work ethic and make plays and make them (the Islanders coaches) notice me.”

-Dyan LeBourdais

Friday, October 1, 2010
1:13 P.M.

Scott Gordon on the signing of Mike Mottau, who will play at the Coliseum on Saturday for the final set of split-squad exhibition games:

“Well, I don’t know how it will play out, but we got enough phone calls about how they thought it was a great signing, two of his coaches, one that we saw in Calgary, that spoke very highly of him. His coach from college (Jerry York) called me and talked about his character and what he brings to the table. We’re not surprised by it, but it’s certainly reassuring to know that he’s, it’s almost like he’s more appreciated by his own team than by the outsider, so I think it’s a great situation. Obviously it’s a huge thing for Garth (Snow) to be able to get him in here and work a deal that could bring our depth back up on D.”

-Dyan LeBourdais

Friday, October 1, 2010
11:28 A.M.

Fresh from the ice, here are tonight’s lines for the preseason game against NJ:

The Islanders will play in their third exhibition game of the preseason at tonight at 7 p.m. at the Prudential Center. The Isles squad facing the Devils will include the fifth overall pick Nino Niederreiter as he battles it out for a spot on the Islanders roster for the 2010-11 season. Newly signed defenseman and ex-Devil Mike Mottau will not play tonight.

In the 2010 preseason, the Islanders are 0-2, losing both split-squad games on Wednesday night versus the Flames (3-2) and the Flyers (3-1). Islanders standouts included rookie defenseman Calvin de Haan and veteran goaltender Dwayne Roloson.

According to the Devils website, Martin Brodeur will get the start in goal for the Devils (1-3).

Make sure to check back after the morning skate at the Nassau Coliseum as we will have more info on who will play tonight.

-Dyan LeBourdais

Wednesday, September 29, 1020
11:53 P.M. Central Time

Third period recap: Calgary 3, Islanders 2, final

Mikko Koskinen replaced DiPietro in goal. Leland Irving was in for Calgary.

Early in the first period, the Islanders came out shooting. At 1:43, Martinek blasted one from the blue line as John Tavares was cutting through to the crease.

Seconds later, Milan Jurcina stepped in and cut off Craig Conroy who was flying up the middle.

Trevor Gillies tipped in Zenon Konopka’s shot from the point at 3:12 cutting it to 3-2. Rhett Rakhshani also had an assist.

Koskinen had a solid period, stopping some quality chances, including one by John Armstrong as he streaked down the left side and blasted one at 10:34.

Islanders head coach Scott Gordon took postitives out of the game.

“We did a great job on the penalty kill,” Gordon said. “(We had) good puck movement once we got set up in the zone. Great retrevials on the power play. Cold have done better on the power play break out.”

As far as the young players he has been watching and talking about through this point of camp he said he would be watching more tape to evaluate.

For those of you who were following us on Twitter, we apologize for the late tweets. Some didn't even go through.

-Katrina Doell

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
11:25 P.M. Cenral Time

Final score from Saskatoon - Calgary 3, Islanders 2

Rhett Rakhshani almost ties it up with seven seconds remaining as Irving made a flailing save.

The Flames came out fast in the second, and at 2:13 Stefan Meyer tipped in Adam Pardy’s shot from the point to get Calgary on the board first. A minute and a half later, Flames left wing Curtis Glencross netted one off assists from Ian White and Mark Giordano making it 2-0 Flames.

Matt Pelech was called at 13:50 for holding, and the Isles cashed in on the man advantage. At 15:15 when Calvin de Haan backdoored a rebound off of Schremp’s shot. James Wisniewski also got an assist.

Both teams had 10 shots in the period.
-Katrina Doell

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
7:56 P.M. Central Time

Saskatoon, Sask -

First period recap: Calgary 0, Islanders 0

Not much happening in the first period at the Credit Union Centre. The Islanders outshot the Flames 6-5.

Radek Martinek, Mark Eaton and Trent Hunter wearing the A for the Saskatoon squad tonight.

The Islanders went on their first power play of the game at 43 seconds when David Moss was called for interference. Martinek had a sold shot from high in the slot, but it was turned away by Mikka Kiprusoff.

About 1:30 later DP stoped his first shot of the night turning a Cory Sarich shot away with his pads.

The Islanders had the first chance to check out their penalty kill when Rob Schremp was called for high sticking at 13:30. After Hunter was called 1:47 later for boarding, the Islandes went 5-on-3 effectively for 13 seconds.

-Katrina Doell

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
9:49 P.M. Eastern Time

Third Period Recap: Islanders 1, Flyers 3

PHILADELPHIA, PA -

At 3:00 Michael Haley stirred up some trouble and goes to the box for roughing. PHI Jody Shelley also goes to the box for roughing after shoving Haley into the boards from behind after the play had stopped.

Roloson robbed Braydon Coburn making a split save.

Scott Hartnell went to the box for interference at 5:30 of third period. On the power play, Islanders forward on Professional Tryout, Krys Kolanos, scored the Islanders lone goal of the game. Dylan Reese and Anders Eriksson assisted.

Rob Hisey intercepted a pass in the Flyers zone, took a shot on net, but was saved by Bobrovsky.

From that point forward, the rest of the game got pretty physical. Penalties were called frequently, but even with a man down Roloson held his own. Jesse Joensuu fought Braydon Coburn at 8:09. Both players earned five for fighting.

Than at 9:48 Jeff Carter of the Flyers went to the box for hooking. The Islanders went 5-on-3 for 13 seconds when Matt Carle earned two for cross checking at 11:35.

Kolanos made a nice pass behind Philadelphia’s net, giving Hillen a pass right in front of Bobrovsky. Saved. Quickly the game turned and Roloson faced a 2-on-1 rush down ice at 13:42. Saved.

Marc-Andre Bourdon earned two minutes for interference at 14:09. Then the Islanders ended the game with two straight penalties. Anders Eriksson went to the box for holding at 18:22 and Jon Sim earned a minor for delay of game at 19:45.

The Islanders first exhibition game of the preseason ended in a 3-1 loss to the Flyers. We will be boarding the bus in a few minutes. Make sure to check back late tonight as there will be a game story posted within the next few hours.

-Dyan LeBourdais

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
8:50 P.M. Eastern Time

Second Period Recap: Islanders 0, Flyers 3

PHILADELPHIA, PA -

Justin DiBenedetto earned the Islanders first penalty of game for cross checking at 2:23.

Islanders goaltender Dwayne Roloson deserved the shutout that period. He played a fantastic period between the pipes, making a few ridiculous saves. A shot from the point by Daniel Carcillo is worthy of noting. You could hear the rebound off Roloson's pads.

The Isles earned their second power play of the game at 4:44 when Nikolai Zherdev was called for holding on Jesse Joensuu. Less than three minutes later, defenseman Travis Hamonic scraps with Daniel Carcillo (7:25). While the fight ended in a draw, both players drew fighting penalties and Carcillo made his way to the locker room. Hamonic earned an extra two minutes for roughing.

On the penalty kill, Islanders defenseman Mark Katic breaks down the Flyers system in the defensive zone and cleared puck.

At 12:50 Scott Hartnell fired off a shot and Roloson made yet another glove save.

14:07 Jesse Joensuu intercepted a pass from the Flyers earning a breakaway. Just as he fired off a shot, Erik Gustafsson trips him up and Joensuu slid into Bobrovsky. Gustafsson earned two minutes for tripping at 14:07.

Under two minutes in the second period and Roloson held strong, saving four shots in under a minute. Then with one minute left on the clock, forward Rob Hisey fired off a shot and Bobrovsky made a glove save.

Ending the second period, Roloson made a save at the sound of the buzzer ending the second period. Shots this period: PHI 14, NYI 10

Jack Hillen and Matt Moulson are both wearing the A tonight versus Philly.

Early in the first, Jesse Joensuu had the Islanders best opportunity of the game, but couldn’t get a shot off.

At 9:36 James van Riemsdyk scored the first goal of the game for Philadelphia with assists by Mike Richards and Daniel Carcillo. Less than two minutes later (11:07), the Flyers netted their second goal of the game when Jeff Carter scored after receiving a pass from behind the net by Marc-Andre Bourdon. Ville Leino also assists.

13:09 Isles get first power play opportunity of the game. Bench minor for too many men on the ice to be served by Daniel Carcillo. During the PP, Jack Hillen got off a shot from the point at 14:46. The opportunity was there, there just weren’t any Isles down low to tip it in.

PHI Jeff Carter scored third goal of the game with just seconds left in the first period. Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino assist.

Even though the first period ended with the Islanders down three-nil, the team is still getting their fair share of opportunities. Shots on goal tallied NYI 11, PHI 13.

-Dyan LeBourdais

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
6:50 P.M. Eastern Time

PHILADELPHIA, PA - The line combinations for the Islanders are as follows:

More Notes: The Flyers enter their sixth preseason game tonight with a 3-1-1 record. They lost to New Jersey at the Prudential Center last night 3-2.

-Dyan LeBourdais

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
1:32 P.M. Central Time

SASKATOON, SASK - The Islanders came off the ice after about 45 minutes at the Credit Union Center in Saskatoon. A couple of story lines that we know you are looking to follow. Will DP start in goal tonight? (We don’t know yet for sure, but when we do we will post it here and on @NYIslanders).

But also, tonight is Nino Niederreiter’s first game NHL game. It happens to be in the arena where his stock was really was set flying.

Nino played here last December representing Switzerland in the World Juniors where he was scored the seventh most points in the tournament scoring 6 goals and 4 assists in 7 games. (Worth noting, Kirill Petrov was the eighth best scorer.) Switzerland finished fourth.

He told the media this morning that he was excited to be back in Saskatoon. “I have a great feeling about tonight. I had a lot of memories when I came into the building.”

As for what is he excited about for tonight, “It is always my dream…tonight is going to the moment. It’s the first step.”

Scott Gordon is looking forward to tonight as well. “I think the biggest thing is putting everything together in a real game situation all of the things we’ve been working on in practice and to see what we have in our younger guys.”

Before the team took the ice, Rob Schremp was out on the ice with Milan Jurcina working on his hands. This video is not to be missed.

-Katrina Doell

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
1:15 P.M. Eastern Time
Pregame Skate at Coliseum
Dwayne Roloson was the first one off the ice so he will be the starter in net tonight versus the Flyers. Frans Nielsen and Doug Weight spent a little time on the ice after the pregame skate. They won’t be making the trip to Philadelphia.

Islanders forward Jon Sim will be replacing Nielsen on the top line, centering Matt Moulson and Krys Kolanos.

Kolanos, who is on a Professional Tryout with the Islanders, said he is very excited to get the opportunity to play with the Islanders. “(Moulson and Sim are) two really good players, so it should be good and I am looking forward to it,” Kolanos said about playing on the top line tonight.

Defensemen Headed to Philly are Ready to Go
Islanders defenseman Jack Hillen and rookie blueliner Travis Hamonic are both excited to play in their first exhibition game of the season. Playing against Philadelphia in their home arena, Hillen said he really isn’t sure what to expect out of the competition.

“I know Philadelphia always plays us well,” Hillen said. “They are usually close, tight games and I think we have a lot of guys battling for spots trying to show what they can do. There should be a lot of energy on our side.”

Hamonic, who is looking forward to making his professional debut, knows that the challenge will not be easy, but he’s ready to prove to the Islanders coaching staff that he is ready to play in the NHL. While he wants to bring the physical aspect of his game, he knows he also needs to play simple and stick to the system in order to make a good impression.

“This is our first game. Other teams have played a couple. They are more familiar with being in a game atmosphere and I think that’s what we are going to have to do during the first period,” Hamonic said. “We need to get our legs going coming off the bus and just have good communication.”

“It’s the first game for a lot of us together,” Hamonic continued. “(We have) new linemates and defensive partners. Communication is really under-rated to a lot of people. It really slows the game down and makes it a lot easier. For us it’s going to be the little things. It’s our first game and we are all looking forward to it.”

You’ll notice that former Islander Tim Jackman is in the line-up for Calgary tonight. He's wearing number 15 for the Flames.
-Katrina Doell

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
9:00 A.M. Eastern Time

Philadelphia Preview
The Islanders will have their first set of split-squad exhibition games later tonight. Below you can find the information about the team going to play in Philadelphia. This squad will take the ice at 10:30 a.m. for a morning skate before departing the Coliseum and bussing to the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The puck will drop at 7 p.m. and up to the minute coverage will be provided via twitter.

The defensive lines may look a little different as Bruno Gervais and Dustin Kohn are also expected to make the trip.

-Dyan LeBourdais

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
6:36 A.M. Central Time

Tonight, the Islanders play the first two games of their five game preseason schedule.

Hitting the ice at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon at 9 p.m. EST, will be, among others, John Tavares, Rob Schremp, Blake Comeau, Josh Bailey, James Wisniewski, and Mark Eaton. It’s expected that Rick DiPietro will play.

Fifth overall pick Nino Niederrieter will see his first NHL action tonight, skating on a line with Bailey and Schremp.

The Islanders start their preseason schedule later than the rest of the NHL teams due to the cancelled China Training Camp.

Look for progress to be made on special teams. The power play and penalty kill have been a focus of camp thus far.

The Flames played last night in Calgary, beating Pheonix 3-1. The Flames are 4-0-0 in preseason play.

The line up for tonight should look something like this:

Forwards:

57 Blake Comeau, 91 John Tavares, 15 PA Parenteau

12 Josh Bailey, 44 Rob Schremp, 25 Nino Niederreiter

17 Matt Martin, 45 David Ullstrom, 7 Trent Hunter

14 Trevor Gillies, 28 Zenon Konopka, 49 Rhett Rakhshani

Defense:

4 Mark Eaton, 20 James Wisniewski

47 Andrew MacDonald, 24 Radek Martinek

3 Calvid de Haan, 27 Milan Jurcina

Goalies:

39 Rick DiPietro

1 Mikko Koskinen

Tonight’s game will not be broadcast live, but it will be shown on the NHL Network at 4 a.m. Set your DVR.

Both games will be Tweeted live and there will be period-by-period recaps on this blog. If you are following @NYIslanders on Twitter, follow the #isles tag as well as the #vsphi #vscgy tags. That's how we will differentiate the games.

-Katrina Doell

Tuesday, September 28, 2010
6:32 P.M. Central Time

SASKATOON, SASK - As the Islanders prepare for their first two preseason games tomorrow night, it’s the right time to get excited about Long Island’s pro team. Yes, injuries have been the story line since Saturday when Mark Streit fell awkwardly and injured his shoulder and the news of Kyle Okposo’s shoulder injury earlier today, but with the additions of James Wisniewski, Mark Eaton, Milan Jurcina and Mike Mottau today, the Islanders are still primed to start the season with a talented team. On forward, PA Parenteau who was acquired at during free agency has the chance to duplicate Matt Moulson’s output last season and play the big time numbers in the wake of Okposo’s injury.

There is still a buzz surrounding the Islanders organization and injuries don’t shift the priorities and goals of the team.

The NHL Network will carry the game vs. the Flyers live at 7 p.m. and will also broadcast the game from Saskatoon vs. the Flyers at 4 a.m. Check your local listings and watch your team.
-Katrina Doell

Tuesday, September 28, 2010
4:20 P.M.McAmmond happy to be back on Long Island

Dean McAmmond may be participating in the Islanders Training Camp on Professional Tryout agreement, but he isn’t new to the organization. In 2008-09, the veteran winger finished out his season on Long Island following a trade with the Ottawa Senators.

In 18 games with the Islanders, McAmmond tallied two goals and seven assists for nine points and eight penalty minutes, but he also got to be familiar with many of the players in the Islanders dressing room.

“It’s actually pretty neat because I’ve been here and I enjoyed my time here,” McAmmond said. “I know a lot of the guys and that hasn’t been the situation for a lot of the times. I’ve been a lot of places and a lot of knew faces, but I feel pretty comfortable.”

At the beginning of last season, the veteran was looking for a team to call his own and the New Jersey Devils decided to invite him to their Training Camp on Professional Tryout. By the end of camp, McAmmond signed a one-year contract. In 62 games, the veteran tallied eight goals and nine assists for 17 points and 40 penalty minutes.

Looking to enter into his 18th year pro, McAmmond will be happy with the outcome whether or not the Islanders decide to sign him to a contract this season. Drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, the winger also spent time with the Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils.

“I’ve had a good career and I enjoy just being in training camp and around the guys and playing the game,” McAmmond said. “I love to do that and I still can, so I’m just not worried about what the contractual situation is.”

While McAmmond is an extremely experienced player, he will only have one practice day and one pregame skate with the team before playing in his first exhibition game in Philadelphia.

“I think it’s not the best preparation to start your first exhibition game, but I’ve played a number of exhibition games so I’m sure I’ll be able to get through it,” McAmmond said.

Other veterans who are in attendance at the Islanders 2010 Training Camp are forwards Jed Ortmeyer and Krys Kolanos, goaltenders Manny Legace and Joel Martin and defenseman Anders Eriksson.

-Dyan LeBourdais

Tuesday, September 28, 2010
3:15 P.M.The group of skaters headed to Philadelphia tomorrow looks a little different with the addition of the skaters on Professional Tryout agreements. The defensive lines may also change, but below are what we saw on the ice this morning. Defensemen Dustin Kohn and Bruno Gervais are both expected to make the trip to Philadelphia.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010
2:00 P.M.The New York Islanders have announced that forward Kyle Okposo has an injured right shoulder that requires surgery and will keep him out indefinitely.

Okposo, one of the two Islanders assistant captains, finished second in team overall scoring last season with 19 goals and 33 assists for 52 points in 80 games played. In Okposo’s rookie season, the year prior, he once again finished second in team scoring with 39 points (18 goals and 21 assists).

-New York Islanders

Monday, September 27, 2010
11:30 A.M.The New York Islanders announced today that Jed Ortmeyer has accepted an invitation to Training Camp on a Professional Tryout (PTO).

Ortmeyer posted NHL career-highs in goals (eight), assists (11) and points (19) in 76 games with the San Jose Sharks last year. The Omaha, NE, native has skated in 306 NHL games with the New York Rangers, Nashville Predators and Sharks. Ortmeyer, a 6-0, 190 lbs. forward, turned pro with the Rangers in 2003-04 after a four-year collegiate career at the University of Michigan.

-New York Islanders

Monday, September 27, 2010
10:40 A.M.Lineup Change
The Islanders lines have changed as the teams prepare to play in their first set of exhibition games on Wednesday in Saskatoon and Philadelphia.

Kabanov ReturnedThe Islanders have returned forward Kirill Kabanov to Junior.

The Islanders selected Kabanov in the third round (65th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Last season, Kabanov scored 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 22 games with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL. He played in both of the Islanders' 2010 rookie games against the Boston Bruins last week.
-New York Islanders

Saturday, September 25, 2010
2:40 P.M.

Injury UpdateMark Streit was injured late in the third period of the Orange vs. Blue Scrimmage when he was caught up against the boards by Matt Moulson. After the scrimmage, Islanders Head Coach Scott Gordon called it a fluke injury that is being reevaluated. He said they will not know the extent of the injury until probably Monday.

Although we don’t know when the Isles defenseman will be back in the lineup, Coach Gordon added, “He’s an important guy for us. Any team that would lose one of their top defenseman would have a hole in their lineup."
-Dyan LeBourdais

Schremp (didn’t shoot)The White team won the skills competition and it was impossible for the Blue team to tie up the score, so Schremp did not take the final shootout shot.
-Dyan LeBourdais

Saturday, September 25, 2010
1:10 P.M.

At the end of the third period: White 4, Blue 4

Mikko Koskinen replaced Dwayne Roloson in net at the start of the period.

Trent Hunter roofed a goal at 1:49, closing the gap with the Orange team 4-3.

Travis Hamonic of the Orange team earned a penalty about 4:20, which led to Hunter’s second goal of the game (scored two in 2:43) at 4:32. Hunter’s goal tied the game for the first time, as each team had 4.

David Ullstrom found himself in the box at 4:47 for holding.

Jon Sim and Rick DiPietro got in to it in front of the net at 6:53. The crowd broke out chanting “D-P, D-P” and DiPietro earned a penalty for holding. Kabanov served the penalty.

Dustin Kohn, of the white team, went to the box for hooking at 7:33. The blue team found themselves on the two-man advantage. This is the perfect time for them to score a goal and get ahead in the game.

Kohn found himself on the breakaway when he got out of the box, but Islanders rookie defenseman Calvin de Haan did a great job getting back on the forecheck, stopping the shot.

At 10:18 the Blue team’s Jesse Joensuu earned a penalty for slashing.

Rob Hisey came down the ice, wrapping around the back of the net trying for a wrap-around shot, but Koskinen put an end to the play.

Radek Martinek earned 2 minutes for cross checking at 16:35.

Mark Streit came off the ice at 17:44 holding his shoulder after receiving a cross check from Matt Moulson along the boards.

At the end of regulation, the Orange vs. Blue scrimmage was tied 4-4. The Skills Competition would determine the winner.

The Blue team came out of the locker room looking more ready than they did the first period, which is a good thing because they were behind by two points at the start of the period.

Swiss powerhouse Nino Niederreiter, looking to get his chance in the NHL this season, was strong on the pressure down low, causing Jack Hillen and Radek Martinek to work together to clear the zone.

Andrew MacDonald had a slapshot from the blueline after the blue dominated play in the Orange team’s zone for a few minutes. The shot was just stopped by Roloson. Close though.

Jeremy Yablongski got a high sticking penalty at 4:03 for the blue team causing white to be on the power play of which Niederreiter and Rob Hisey both saw time. Niederreiter set up a good play for the Isles with a little dump and chase behind the net, but the attempt didn’t end up bearing any fruit.

Rob Schremp got a penalty for hooking at 6:53. This time, Islanders defensemen James Wisniewski and Mark Streit led the Orange team. Bruno Gervais and Mark Katic also got time on the power play. It’s a good thing the Islanders have been practicing their special teams. If they hadn’t the white team may have netted a goal or two.

At 9:51 Mark Eaton was sent to the penalty box for crosschecking and Dwayne Roloson skated to the bench shortly after, giving the Blue team a 6-on-4 advantage. After the whistle blew, he went back to his net. With the 5-on-4 advantage, the Blue team netted their second goal of the game at 10:54 when Rob Schremp scored (unassisted).

Travis Hamonic earned a penalty for hooking at 13:20. This was the Blue team’s opportunity to put another one in the back of the net, but they were denied by strong defensive play and some great stops by DiPietro.

Hisey had a sick one timer at 16:21 after dumping the puck into the Blue team’s defensive zone and receiving a pass from Parentau, but Roloson was there and put a stop to it.

At 17:27 Mark Eaton found himself in the box for a second time, this time earning 2 minutes for slashing. Schremp had a decent chance to score on DiPietro, but lost control of the puck at the last second.

The second period ended with Orange leading 4-2. More will come after the third period.

-Dyan LeBourdais

Saturday, September 25, 2010
11:33 A.M.

First period: White 3, Blue 1

Less than one minute into the first period and Islanders forward Blake Comeau scored from the top of the circle after the Blue team had a minor broke down and Matt Moulson’s stick broke in half. John Tavares, the Isles first overall draft pick in 2009, and PA Parenteau, who the Isles acquired during free agency got the assists.

For the most part, the orange team really dominated play during the first period. Comeau tallied his second goal of the game for the Orange team at 10:30 making the score 2-0 Orange. Parenteau got the assist.

Moulson scored as he fell to his knees, getting one past Rick DiPietro at 11:03, closing the gap on the Orange team 2-1. Rob Schremp set up the goal nicely from behind the net when he found Moulson open and he passed out front.

At 16:40 the Orange team scored their third goal of the game when Zenon Konopka got one past Dwayne Roloson. The Islanders fifth overall draft selection Nino Niederreiter assisted.

Even though it is an inner-squad scrimmage, both teams were playing extremely physical, trying to push each other off the puck as much as they could. Although, the Comeau, Parenteau, Tavares line looked really strong.

More updates after the second period.

As happy as fans are to see team, they were a little bit more excited to see Rick DiPietro. Hope he heard all the cheers.
-Dyan LeBourdais

Saturday, Septmber 25, 2010
8:50 A.M.

Hey Long Island! Just a reminder that today is the Orange vs. Blue Scrimmage. The game starts at 11 a.m. (doors open at 10 a.m.) so if you’re ready for hockey season to start, you will definitely want to watch from the stands at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The game will also be streamed on NewYorkIslanders.com.

If you missed the prospects Orange vs. Blue Scrimmage this summer, this may be your first chance to see the Islanders most recent draftee Nino Niederreiter fight for a spot on the Isles roster this season. This will also be the first time in three seasons that goaltender Rick DiPietro is healthy and ready to start the beginning of the season, so if you don’t want to miss his first appearance in net, the NVMC is the place to be.

The Orange squad beat the Blue squad in their special teams scrimmage on Thursday evening so the Blue squad will be working extra hard for the W. Their top line with Matt Moulson, Rob Schremp and Rhett Rakhshani will definitely be trying to put a few goals in the back of the net.
-Dyan LeBourdais

The game starts at 11 a.m. and will be streamed on NewYorkIslanders.com, but any hockey fan knows that the game is better in person. Buy your tickets here. -Katrina Doell

Friday, September 24, 2010
6:45 P.M.

We put this out through the Islanders Official Twitter feed earlier today, and wanted to be sure you all saw it - The Top 10 Reasons to Attend the Orange vs. Blue Scrimmage here at the Coliseum tomorrow:

- From the Isles home office in Uniondale, NY...
The top 10 reasons to attend the Orange vs. Blue Scrimmage and Skills Competition

- #10: Because sleeping in on a Saturday is highly overrated. You can sleep on Sunday. Football doesn’t start until 1:00

- #9: Because it seems like forever since you’ve seen the Zamboni circle the ice.

- #8: You’ve been dying to try out your “El Nino” chant.

- #7: Because you’re hockey deprived.

- #6: This is the one game that you don’t have to adjust your fantasy hockey lineup for. Just sit back and enjoy.

- And, the number one reason to attend the Orange vs. Blue Scrimmage and Skills
Competition…. (drum roll)...

- We guarantee an Isles victory.

-Katrina Doell

Friday, September 24, 2010
3:30 P.M.

Matt Moulson and Mark Streit are both looking forward to the Blue vs. Orange scrimmage and Skill Competition on Saturday at 11 a.m. Both members of the winning Orange squad, they are looking to pull out a second win after defeating the Blue team on Thursday evening 6-4.

“It should be a pretty intense game,” Moulson said. “I don’t know if there are going to be any tilts tomorrow, but maybe there will be one for the crowd. We’ll see. Hopefully there are a lot of people here.”

“We have great fans and it will be good for them to come see the new guys that got added to the team,” Moulson added. “I know they desperately want a winning team here on the Island so hopefully we can give them a taste of that tomorrow.”

The forward is also looking forward to showing Islanders fans that he may have another 30-plus goal season up his sleeve for this year.

“I need the bounce back from the power play scrimmage,” Moulson said. “I couldn’t seem to find the back of the net. So I have to guarantee a goal tomorrow to help motivate myself.”

Streit is also looking forward to the scrimmage, he just hopes all of our fans show up to watch them play.

“I’m curious how many people are going to show up tomorrow, hopefully a lot,” Streit said. “There are some new players on the team. I mean Nino is here and some people haven’t seen him yet, so hopefully people are going to show up and it’s going to be good to get at it.”

“I mean we won the first (scrimmage), but I’m really excited to play tomorrow,” the Islanders assistant captain continued. “We have been practicing so much and we haven’t had a lot of chances to scrimmage, so it’s going to be a good game tomorrow. I think everybody can’t wait to get in game shape.”
-Dyan LeBourdais

Friday, September 24, 2010
11:45 A.M.

It’s not a secret that the Islanders struggled with special teams last season, ranking in the bottom third of the National Hockey League in most categories. So in hopes of boosting production on the power play and decreasing their opponents’ opportunities on the penalty kill, the Islanders coaching staff has had the split squads focusing a majority of their time on special teams thus far in Training Camp.

Since many teams across the league have been playing exhibition games, the Isles coaching staff decided call off the normal practice routine on Thursday, instead opting for a 7 p.m. scrimmage where the referees called mock penalties. This way the players could have a little fun and the coaching staff could assess how well the Islanders players have picked up on what they’ve been taught thus far in camp.

“We got what we wanted to get out of it,” said the Islanders Head Coach Scott Gordon. “I thought there were some good things on the power play that we’ve been working on and the guys did a really good job of playing off of each other.”

A lot of games are lost to mistakes made on the penalty kill or failed opportunities on the power play. So the power play is where it’s at. The five-on-four or the occasional five-on-three advantage give teams an incredible opportunity to change the game in their favor.

While they’ve been working on a lot of drills, the Islanders have also really boosted their defensive end this off season. By adding James Wisniewski, the Islanders will hopefully add depth to the power play unit alongside Isles blueliner Mark Streit.

“I thought from an offensive standpoint, I saw a lot of good things,” Coach Gordon said. “I really liked the way Streiter (Streit) and Wiz (Wisniewski) worked together on the power play. I saw some good things on the power play, the guys were moving on the puck, breaking off each other and breakouts were really good.”

As for the penalty kill, players never want to take the types of penalties that put the team behind the proverbial eight ball.

Even though the tally of Thursday night’s scrimmage was high, the offensive and defensive ends of the game were well played. As we look forward to the Orange vs. Blue scrimmage on Saturday (click here for tickets) and the first set of exhibition games next Wednesday, Islanders fans should be prepared to see an improvement on the Islanders special teams.
-Dyan LeBourdais

Friday, September 24, 2010
10:30 A.M.

Good morning from the Coliseum. Before the players get out on the ice this morning we have some injury updates:

Doug Weight, Frans Nielsen, Trent Hunter, Rob Schremp and PA Parenteau are all out today with general soreness.

The Orange squad beat the Blue squad 6-4 in tonight's scrimmage, which focused on special teams. Matt Martin (Blue), Trent Hunter (Blue), and Mark Streit (Orange) each had two goals. Bruno Gervias (Orange), Blake Comeau (Orange) Josh Bailey (Orange) and Tony Romano (Orange) each had one. Koskinen was in goal for the Orange team and Roloson in the net for the Blue team. Rick DiPietro was on a scheduled day off. All players get on the ice tomorrow at noon.

-Katrina Doell

Thursday, September 23, 2010
7:30 P.M.

Here's an interesting update.

Player heights and weights were updated today on Islanders.com. Here are a few notables from the new roster:
Biggest Weight Gains (compared to last season’s media guide):

There is a change in schedule for today. This morning will be meetings with the coaches and off-ice workouts. On ice activities will be later on today.

-Katrina Doell

Wednesday, September 22, 2010
5:45 P.M.

Today was a bit quieter than the hubub of yesterday.

Zenon Konopka was out on the ice for the first time.

Also, General Manager Garth Snow took some time from his day to sit down with some of our Blog Boxers. Dee Karl, Tony Stabile and Ken Dick spent about an hour with Snow and he answered their questions on a wide array of topics.

This video from yesterday's practice has caught the attention of a lot of fans. It's pretty cool so, check it out.

It's been a few hours since we've posted an update here. We had a lot of news yesterday that we were posting all day, and we were letting that news speak for itself. Islanders TV has complete coverage of yesterday's press conference, the announcement of signing Nino Niederretier and a mic'd up Rob Schremp.

Walking into the Coliseum this morning has brought on some reflective thoughts about yesterday, which was full of many positive experiences. Like we posted here yesterday, it was great to see the over 40 media members here to cover training camp. It was also pretty interesting to have IMG here shooting for a TV show they are pitching about the Islanders. The players were happy to see all the media covering camp, and it was all boosted by Charles Wang's presence at the press conference yesterday afternoon. To hear Charles, Garth Snow, and Scott Gordon speak so highly about the players and what playoff hopes for this season gives the fans pleanty to look forward to.

There is definitely a buzz around the team and it's something to enjoy.

Personel updates for today's camp:
Zenon Konopka will skate for the first time today.
Mark Streit has a scheduled day off.
PA Parenteau is taking a day of rest.
James Wisniewski will return today.
Doug Weight will return after a sheduled day off.

-Katrina Doell

Tuesday, September 21, 2010
12:10 P.M.

Very busy day here on Media Day. Good to see some familiar faces, but also the new folks who will be covering the team as well.

I got hit with a puck this morning, and I thought this would be the that kind of day. But so far, so good. Rick DiPietro was interviewed by TSN this morning and we will be looking for that coverage to bring to you.

Can't stress enough how much energy there is around the team right now. It's great to see and makes all of the preparation for this season all the more exciting.

Don't forget, if you aren't already to follow us on Twitter. We are sending pics and videos there as as they happen.

-Katrina Doell

Tuesday, September 21, 2010
8:46 A.M.

Good morning from the Coliseum. As the first Group of players gets ready to take the ice, we have some updates for you:

Defenseman Mark Eaton will skate for the first time today with the second group. Rick DiPietro will also be back on the ice with the second group following a scheduled day off. James Wisniewski will not skate today due to a tight groin and Doug Weight is on a scheduled day off.

Today is also Media Day here at the Coliseum.

Be back shortly with more.

-Katrina Doell

Monday, September 20, 2010
1:59 P.M.

Coach Gordon told the media that Rick DiPietro has scheduled off days on Thursday and Sunday. He will play in Saturday's Orange vs. Blue scrimmage. Click here for tickets.

He also said that the lines as they have been through camp will stay the same through the scrimmage. They will be changed after Saturday.

-Dyan LeBourdais

Monday, September 20, 2010
11:42 P.M.

Happy 20th Birthday to John Tavares! In honor of his birthday, check out his highlight reel.

Saw some new drills today which focused on moving the puck around the offensive zone.

Blake Comeau looks like he picked up some speed in the off season. We caught up with him for this quick Twitvid.

-Katrina Doell

Monday, September 20, 2010
9:12 A.M.

Today, camp moves to the Coliseum. It's the first time in 13 years the Islanders have had camp on Long Island. The players are happy to be at their home arena preparing for the season.

The first group will take the ice in about 10 minutes.

Did you see our pictures on Twitter yesterday of Bruno shaving his head for the Clark Gillies Foundation? Check them out, totally priceless! Here is the video we took.

-Katrina Doell

Sunday, September 19, 2010
1:03 P.M.

The second group just finished. A little getting ready to head over to see Bruno Gervais get his head shaved. What stood out the most about today was how the hard work these first two days made the players smile and enjoy being out on the ice with each other.

Most of the Facebook and Twitter questions were for players that skated in the first skate, and they had already left the building. We will make a point to get to them tomorrow.

The Islanders training staff has a set schedule for DP throughout training camp. Tomorrow is a planned day off.

-Katrina Doell

Sunday, September 19, 2010
11:30 A.M.

- Rick DiPietro, whose 29th birthday is today, made the day of one lucky fan. The young lady won a game-worn DP jersey at an event last season. The Islanders made it possible for DP to meet her and sign the jersey. He even went to the stands to give her a stick, which she got signed by the team.

- Jeremy Yablonski skated with his group in the first session today. In an interview with Sound Tigers TV he talked about his friendship with Trevor Gillies. You may have heard, the two tough-guys were grooomsmen in each other's weddings. What you may not have known, is that he was a linesmate of captain Doug Weight.

"Dougie Weight was my linemate believe it or not in St. Louis back in the day," Yablonski said. "I always bug him, I kept setting him up and he couldn't score any goals."

He also talked about how good it is to be here at camp getting back to hockey and meeting the guys he didn't know already.

"The first day you get here, there are some guys you know and some you don'," Yablonksi said. "It's nice for everybody to gel together the first couple days. That's always the fun part. Getting into the intesne practices, it's not the summer skates anymore. It'sjust exciting to be here with everybody."

-Bruno Gervais will shave his head at about 2 p.m. today for the Clark Gillies Foundation. We will be there to cover the event.

Group 2 has been on the ice for the last 15 minutes. Better get to taking some video!

-Katrina Doell

Saturday, September 19, 2010
9:15 A.M.

Good morning from Iceworks. Group 2 takes the ice first today. Groups and lines are on this blog in a post from Friday. Looking forward to seeing what drills and progress is made today.

Thanks to some fans of the Facebook fan page, we have some questions that will be answered here on this blog today. Check our page to see what people are saying, and comment if you have a question.

-Katrina Doell

Saturday, September 18, 2010
2:50 P.M.

Weight on Training Camp: “I am yeah, very happy. It’s an exciting time whether it’s your first camp or your 19th camp or whatever it is. It’s always an exciting time. Certainly for me individually, I feel healthy. I got my shoulder fixed and I feel really excited to be a part of this team. As a team we’re excited to take another step upon last year and hopefully be playing hockey in April, May and June. So it’s a great challenge ahead of us and we’re all pretty excited.”

-Dyan LeBourdais

Saturday, September 18, 2010
1:40 P.M.

Group 2 notes

SYOSSET -- Camp has wrapped up for the day and the players are heading out of the rink. Group 2 ran the same drills as Group 1. Fortunately, when Dwayne Roloson made a nice diving save the camera was working.

As far what Coach Gordon thought was the Highlight of the Day was, he said:

"Today was just about getting back in to the rhythm of having a formal practice and I said to the guys I want to make sure that we elevate the pace today from what they did on their own last week. I think that was accomplished."

On Rick DiPietro and participating in the first day of camp, Gordon said that today was a "huge step in the right direction." He said that so far, the goalie has had no problems with his recovery and, "we just want to make sure it stays that way."

Newly named Islanders broadcaster Butch Goring was also here at Iceworks today. Expect to see a story on NewYorkIslanders.com shortly.
-Katrina Doell

Saturday, September 18, 2010
11:30 A.M.

Note's from Group 1's first skate

SYOSSET - The team was on the ice for just about an hour and a half. Drills led the practice, and the highlight was the one-on-one's just before the team got off the ice.

Rick DiPietro was part of today's first group of skaters. During the one-on-one's, DP drew cheers from his teammates after making a few nice plays.

Nino Niederreiter looked strong, playing with the Islanders veterans. Heading to the locker room, we asked Nino how his first session was. With a smile he said "Good." Nino's agent is here this morning, watching his first day of camp. We spoke to him informally, but it's worth mentioning what he said about the rookie. "Nino is a smart young man with his both feet on the ground."

We will have some Twitvids shortly. If you haven't seen them already, you can check out all of our videos by scrolling through this blog.

Today was the first day that veterans reported to Training Camp. There was no ice today, but the team was here for medicals.

We caught up with one of the newest Islanders, d-man James Wisniewski for this Twitvid about getting into camp and getting ready for the season.

Tonight at 8:20 p.m. Bruno Gervais will appear live on News 12 to promote Clark Gillies' September 19th charity event, Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow. At this event both will shave their heads to raise money for kids with autism and cancer. Bruno, who has worked very hard in the community raising money and giving his time, spoke to newyorkislanders.com about how he came to be shedding his locks.

"I got an email from Clark about his Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow charity, and about how he is raising money and shaving his head. It raises money for kids with autism and kids with cancer. I do raise money back home for kids with cancer, so when I saw that email, I just answered right back that I would be there and that I would shave my head and I want to raise money. He really appreciated that. We're just going to try to get the people to come down and donate. "

As for why he makes community work such a priority, Gervais said, "I am blessed. I am really lucky and I realize that. My whole life, I was healthy and my parents gave me really good support. I realize the chance that I have. Some kids, they are the nicest kids, but they can't do everything they want because of their health. To give those kids a smile or a chance to have fun and see the bright side of things really drives with me."

Passes were crisper and the system was cleaner, making the second rookie game in Boston extremely fun to watch. As pass after pass connected around the Bruins defensive zone, the Islanders rookies took shot after shot and the improvement from the night before didn’t go unnoticed by Islanders Head Coach Scott Gordon.

“We skated tonight,” Coach Gordon said. “We created some turnovers, initiated some contact. There was a lot more intensity in the game for us. I think that showed in the shots, we had a lot of shots. Overall I thought it was a pretty good effort.”

Even though the game was a definite improvement over the previous night, marked by a one-nil lead early in the first, the Islanders rookies lost their second game 4:21 into the five-minute overtime period when a sudden breakaway by Ryan Spooner couldn’t be blocked.

Standouts on the Islanders roster include goaltender Kevin Poulin and forward Tony Romano. While Romano scored the only Islanders goal of the game, Poulin played outstanding between the pipes, stopping 33 shots on net in the 2-1 overtime loss.

Poulin made some crazy saves, diving left and right as well as catching slapshots in his glove hand. “It just happens in the moment,” Poulin said. “You do whatever you can to stop the puck. That’s my job and this is what I do.”

“Usually the game when you don’t play for a while it’s fast,” Poulin said about his first game between the pipes this season. “So I think the first period was fast a little bit and I just timed myself… so I was ready for it.”

Romano couldn’t have said better things about his netminder. “(Poulin) stood on his head,” Romano said. “There’s not much you can say about him. He played a great game and he kept us in it the whole 60 minutes there.”

But the Bruins battled hard in the overtime period outshooting the Isles rookies 4-1 and when Poulin was faced with an odd man rush, the shot from Spooner was just unstoppable. Even though the game ended in a loss, Coach Gordon still had great things to say about the goaltender.

“(Poulin) played well,” Coach Gordon said. “We’re excited that we have him, that we drafted him. They way he’s played in juniors and the way he’s played in our training camp. He’s been excellent. I think that one thing we can say for sure is that our goaltending is going to be solid in Bridgeport.”

But the game wouldn’t have come down to the overtime period without the first goal of the game scored by Tony Romano at 12:34 of the first period.

“I felt like a lot of us were in our comfort zone tonight rather than last night,” said Romano. “I know myself, last night I was just a bit hesitant. Tonight I definitely felt like I was playing with a lot more urgency, using some more hockey sense and it definitely made a difference in my game.”

But the forward knows he couldn’t have done it without the help of his teammates.

“The team tonight, I definitely thought I played a lot better tonight, a lot more urgency, we won a lot of puck battles and the second effort was great.”

Leading up to the Islanders lone goal, Romano said, “Our defenseman Tony DeHart made a good play coming up the ice there and joined the rush, which is something the coaches emphasized for our defensemen before this game.”

“We had a four on two and he made a cross ice pass to (Robin) Figren and Robbie (Figren) bumped it wide to me,” Romano continued. “I saw the defenseman sort of back off the play so I was able to make a quick cut move around him and take a slapshot that just got by the goalie (Michael Hutchinson).”

Even though the rookies couldn’t pull out the win with that beautiful goal, the game still felt like a huge success. Here’s to starting Training Camp early Friday morning and setting the tone for the rest of the hockey season.
-Dyan LeBourdais

Thursday, September 16, 2010
8:27 P.M.

Final: Bruins 2, Islanders 1 - OT

Bruins center Ryan Spooner - on a breakaway - beat Kevin Poulin with 38 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Bruins the lead. Spooner also scored the Bruins first goal.

It was particularly hard to watch beucase Poulin had been ON all game. He bordered on acrobatic and made some stunning saves to keep the Islanders in the game.

The last two nights here in Boston were exciting. Over 26,000 fans turned out between both games. Here's to hoping for big numbers at the Coliseum on September 25th for the Orange vs. Blue scrimmage.

Tomorrow the veterans report to Iceworks. Ice is optional, but they will do physicals. We will be there to provide you with coverage.

We are working on the game recap now. Check back shortly.
-Katrina Doell

Thursday, September 16, 2010
8:27 P.M.

Second period recap: Islanders 1, Bruins 1

The Bruins came out stronger than they did in the first period, and the physical play picked up again. Travis Hamonic brawled in front of the Bruins bench with Lane MacDemind, earning each five minute majors for fighting. It was Hamonic's second fight of the two game series and he recived a game misconduct.

Ryan Spooner scored the equalizer for the Bruins at 17:37.

More to come as we prepare for the third. See you all after the game.

-Katrina Doell

Thursday, September 16, 2010
7:50 P.M.

First period recap: Islanders 1, Bruins 0

In the first periond, the Islanders rookies looked more like the "unit" Scott Gordon was hoping to see. The Bruins first power play at 6:48 gave the Isles a scare, but the D and Poulin were able to hold them off.

Tony Romano scored at 12:34 with assists from Robin Figren and Tony DeHart and gave the Isles a 1-0 lead.

-Katrina Doell

Thursday, September 16, 2010
6:21 P.M.

Moments ago, NewYorkIslanders.com caught up with Islanders Head Coach Scott Gordon for a little insight into the morning meetings. Here is what he said:

“We went over the game. Coaches have thoughts on how we played and where we can be better. We want to provide the players with the opportunity to have a little self evaluation and let them know what we see along the way. If it makes them a better player individually or if it makes them a better team tonight then that’s what we want. I think last night we looked a little hesitant at times and unsure, but that’s to be expected. I think our team overall is a little bit younger than there team (the Bruins rookies) but we held our own and hopefully we have a little bit better performance tonight.”

So how does that video evaluation help out the players?

“The system is something we’re used to seeing all the time and a lot of these guys are just seeing it for the first time. So where they might have thought they were in the right position or they might have thought they were doing what we said, seeing it in pictures is sometimes a lot easier to understand. So that’s what we want to do, to give them an opportunity to see themselves so that when they hear us talk about something, all the sudden they look up on the screen and they say ‘oh, that’s what he means.’ Then it hopefully becomes easier on the ice when they play. So that’s the only objective, just to give the players some information that corresponds to them personally because a lot of times you’re talking generality on what we need our centers to do or need our defensemen to do. (After watching the video), now they can actually talk about something in a specific situation and say ‘this is me and I remember that play.’ So hopefully they can put it all together.”

Last but not least, Gordon did give me the nod that Kevin Poulin will be the starting goaltender when the Islanders rookies take on the Bruins rookies for the second night in a row.

“(Poulin is) He’s a good goaltender. We are thrilled with the goaltending that we have in our system. Those two guys (Poulin and Mikko Koskinen), Nate Lawson and even Anders Nilsson in Sweden, we have great depth and I think those guys will give you a good game every single night.”
-Dyan LeBourdais

Thursday, September 16, 2010
1:01 P.M.

Swiss powerhouse Nino Niederreiter gave Islanders fans a taste of why he was selected with the Islanders fifth overall selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft when he scored the Isles first goal of the exhibition season on Wednesday night at the TD Garden.

Late in the second period, the Islanders were down two-nil and the rookies needed a bit of an energy boost. Just then, a simple faceoff changed the pace of the game.

“We were actually working off a little faceoff play there but it actually went off to the point and Hamonic just got his nose dirty,” said Niederreiter’s linemate Rhett Rakhshani. “It went right to the net and Nino got a little deflection, so it was a simple hockey goal.”

When NewYorkIslanders.com caught up with Niederreiter Thursday morning, he said, “It feels good because it was in an Islanders jersey and in the end it was a rookie game so it’s a start. In the end, I’m happy about it especially because it was my first game and first goal. So it was good.”

But that wasn’t the 18-year-olds only first last night. When Niederreiter saw his linemate David Ullstrom getting chirped by Bruins rookie Tyler Randell, he did his best to get in on the action by dropping the gloves in support of his teammate.

“I still have no idea what I did,” Niederreiter said about the first fight of his hockey career. “I would love to see it. It was kind of a weird fight I guess. I just tried to do my best to help Ullstrom out but in the end, I don’t really know who won or who lost.”

Rhett Rakhshani, the third member of Niederreiter’s line, watched as the Swiss born skater showed his character.“I think it was great. He’s not afraid to show the kind of guy he is and do those little things and work on all areas of the ice,” Rakhshani said. “I respect the fact that he’s a very skilled player but he also works very hard. He showed that last night when he was willing to drop the gloves, first fight, so it says a lot about his character.”

The Islanders first rookie game may have ended in a 5-2 defeat, but the rookies are all excited to get back out there for their double header later on this evening.

“Yeah, we want another shot at them,” said Rakhshani. “In the first couple games of the season you want to get your first win even though it’s an exhibition game. So we’re excited to get another chance at them and we’ll be coming out hard tonight.”

After a morning of watching videos and having meetings with the coaches, the Islanders rookies are ready for their second game of the double header.

-Dyan LeBourdais

Thursday, September 16, 2010
12:20 P.M.

The team has left the rink after morning meetings and some working out. We caught up with Nino Niederrieter and grabbed him for this Twitvid.

Alex O'Neil shocked a few people last night with a fight in the second period when he and Bruins defenceman Ryan Donald exchanged punches. Even on Twitter people were commenting on his fight.

In yesterday's morning skate, the experienced pugliest Trevor Gillies spent time with O'Neil, an 18-year-old forward from Brampton, Ontario. What did he say?

"Gilles just taught me what to do in certain situations, like if I got myself in a bad situation, how to get out of it and types of ways to diffuse opponents. He showed me what he’s learnd of the years. Hopefully I can learn some of his tricks and be as good as him."

Specifically Gillies showed O'Neil how to spar with a bigger opponent.

"He showed me how to stay out of their power punch range and just avoid the big punches that they throw, and keep your head of the way. They guy that I faught last night wasn’t extremely experienced in that way but, for future considerations I know exactly what to do."

O'Neil down from Brampton in the OHL is experiencing his first NHL camp and is adjusting to hockey at the NHL level.

"I didn’t know what to expect when I got down here. It’s a lot faster and you have to make your decisions quicker. Everyone's bigger, and you just have to adapt to it. Obviously, I’m one of the youngest guys here so I’m just trying to get as much experience as I can for the future."
-Katrina Doell

Thursday, September, 16, 2010
9:32 A.M.

Good morning!

Getting ready to head over to the rink. The team has morning meetings, but we will be sure to get some notes for you as a pre game story.

After a few issues with our live stream last night, things were finally up and running smoothly. Thank you for the feedback, it helped us get things straight to stream tonight's game.

We also have hightlights from last night.

More to come.

-Katrina Doell

Wednesday, September 15, 2010
10:20 P.M.

Final Score, Bruins 4, Islanders 2

Wow. Can't wait to see tomorrow's game. Very exciting to see Nino score. Figren stepped up his game to net the second Islanders goal.
Surprising was the amount of penalty minutes racked up by both teams - the Islanders totalled 45 and the Bruins 28. Of note on that topic was Justin DiBenedetto's game miscuonduct halfway through the third period when his elbow and Joe Colborrne's nose met in a nasty way. Colborne was bleeding significantly and was taken to the hospital after receiving stiches.

Boston outshot the Islanders 15-9, but Koskinen looked solid. Impressed by the play of Trevor Hamonic and Klemetyev.

More to come.
-Katrina Doell

Wednesday, September 15, 2010
6:45 P.M.

Hamonic and de Hann ready to be paired together

The Islanders took the ice at the TD Garden at 6:30 p.m. for pregame warmups, but before they left for Boston, NewYorkIslanders.com was able to catch up with defensemen Travis Hamonic and Calvin de Haan about their first rookie game of the season.

The duo have been friends for a few years now and played together in the 2010 World Junior Championships helping Team Canada to a silver medal, so it’s no surprise that the Islanders coaches paired them together for the rookie games.

“In the last year and a half, two years, Calvin and I have become pretty good friends and obviously teammates here as well as playing together in the World Junior Championship,” Hamonic said. “I think we’ve definitely learned to mix our styles of play together so I know they expect good things from us and we expect big things from each other. So there is going to be a good effort from the both of us tonight.”

Both of the blueliners are ready to get their seasons started, but de Haan may be a looking forward to his first game back a little more. He suffered a season ending shoulder injury while playing for the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League. Before surgery, de Haan tallied 5 goals and 19 assists for 24 points.

“I’m very excited. I haven’t played hockey in forever so I’m expected to be a little rusty, but I’m excited and I can’t wait to get the season underway,” said de Haan, who the Islanders selected in the first round (12th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Not only is de Haan, the Oshawa Generals’ 2009 Rookie of the Year and Top Defenseman, excited to play in his first game back, he thinks the Islanders rookies have learned a lot about the system from Islanders Head Coach Scott Gordon over the past few days.

“Coach Gordon is a great teacher because he explains drills fairly clear so it’s a lot easier to understand,” de Haan said. “We had a couple of practices and I think that’s all we need right now because I think everyone is willing to learn get ready to go.”

His linemate was selected by the Islanders in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Playing the majority of his Western Hockey League career with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Hamonic was traded to the Brandon Wheat Kings last season and finished out the year as the teams second leading defensive scorer, earning 11 goals and 33 assists for 44 points.

While both defensemen are extremely talented young rookies, Hamonic knows the players can’t get ahead of themselves and they need to keep a level head out on the ice to pull out the first win.

“We’ve got a good group of young guys in here. Many of us have been familiar with each other for the last few years so the biggest thing coming to a game like this is getting to know each other. Patience is going to be big for us tonight. Guys need to make sure that they’re talking and we’re going to be ready, we’re going to be prepared.”

-Dyan LeBourdais

Wednesday, September 15, 2010
12:15 PM

Pre game notes

After talking to Islanders Head Coach Scott Gordon this morning, it’s apparent the players are ready to take on Boston’s rookies tonight. Best of all, Gordon is confident his skaters have what it takes to pull out a W.

“The highlight of the day hasn’t happened yet. It will be after we win tonight and get the two points against Boston,” Coach Gordon said.

But Coach Gordon isn’t the only one ready for tonight’s game. Islanders prospect Kirill Kabanov is ready to make his dream come true.

“I’m really excited about playing tonight,” Kabanov said. “It was always my dream to put on an NHL jersey and for my first game which is not like a scrimmage it’s pretty much like a real game, wearing NHL colors. It’s pretty cool.”

While the rookies are psyched to play a game inside the TD Garden later tonight, Gordon said these games are all about learning to use the Islanders system and play as a team.

“We’ll hopefully get them to play like a team tonight and give them a little bit of a taste of our style of play,” Gordon said. “So what they’ve learned will hopefully be carried forward into the main camp for the guys that do go in to the main camp.”

Kirill Kabanov missed the first day of Rookie Camp due to disciplinary reasons and over the last few days, he has worked hard skating after the rest of the rookies leave the ice to make up for his actions.

“It was 100 percent my fault,” Kabanov said about sleeping through his alarm and arriving late at the rookie medicals on Monday morning. “I recognize that now and I’ll try not to do it again in the future. So sometimes things happen, but you should pay the price for it so that’s why I paid for that.”

Most of all, he’s excited to get his chance to skate in the rookie game in Boston.

“Yeah I’m really excited about that. I’m really happy the Islanders gave me the chance so I’ll try to do my best for the game tonight.”

-Dyan LeBourdais
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
9:27 AM

Morning notes: Montreal Buddies

In less than one hour, the rookies will take the ice at Iceworks in Syosset one last time before they board the bus to Boston for their first of two Rookie Games against the Bruins prospects.

Not only is he excited for the Rookie Games, he said “I have friends that play there. Jordan Caron is my buddy from back home, so I’m excited to play against him actually, but I’m not nervous.”

Poulin, a Montreal native, has played the last four seasons with the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL where he has faced shots from the rookie winger, who was drafted by the Bruins 25th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

“We have the same agent and for the last four years we’ve trained at the same gym during the summer,” Poulin said. “(Caron) also played in the Q (QMJHL) against me for the Rimouski Oceanic.”

Whether it’s Poulin or Koskinen who find themselves in net tonight, Isles fans wish all the prospects good luck in Boston.

-Dyan LeBourdais

Wednesday, September 15, 2010
7:15 AM

Game Day!

Lots of excitement in the air this morning as our staff is preparing to head up to Boston for the two rookie games that will be played tonight and tomorrow night at TD Garden. We will have updates from today's morning skate at Iceworks and will bring you all the latest information. We have been posting pics on Twitter, so if you are not follwing @NYIslanders, you should be.

This blog has been a sucess so far, and we look forward to bringing you more coverage throughout the games in Boston and when the veterans report on Friday.

-Katrina Doell

Tuesday, September 14, 2010
4:00 PM

Isles Rookie Goalies Get Look At Opportunity

UNIODALE -- When the Islanders coaches take the time to teach their rookies how to play the system, the whistle is a recurrent trend. Even though the process may seem tedious, the repetitiveness of the drills help the players learn by receiving constructive criticism, rather than just informational instruction of watching video in the locker room.

And while the skaters are working hard, goaltenders try to focus on their game by blocking shots, working on their reflexes, following the puck with their eyes and focusing on their positioning.

Unfortunately, the whistle is usually blown before a skater gets the opportunity to pop off a shot at the Islanders Rookie Camp this week and the Isles extremely talented young goaltending prospects Mikko Koskinen and Kevin Poulin don’t get to see a lot of action.

Wednesday is Day Three of Rookie Camp and after a morning skate, which will be held at Iceworks, the group of rookies will be bussing it to Boston to play against the Bruins prospects inside the TD Garden.

Poulin and Koskinen preparing to take the ice at Islanders Rookie Camp

“(Koskinen and Poulin) are both going to get a game in Boston,” said the Islanders Head Coach Scott Gordon. “It’s an opportunity for them. With our schedule, we don’t have a lot of exhibition games for the NHL camp so this is probably their best opportunity to show what they can do.”

Koskinen, who was the Islanders second round draft pick in 2009, is really looking forward to getting this season started after having his first professional season cut short when he suffered an injury requiring surgery for a torn labrum at the beginning of last year.

“It’s fun to be back here and playing hockey again,” Koskinen said. But whether or not he’s ready to face the Bruins prospects on Wednesday night, he said, “It’s hard to say because we haven’t faced a lot of shots. It’s all system and practice for the players, not really for us goalies. So we’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”

Kevin Poulin, the Islanders second goaltending prospect, was drafted by the Islanders in the fifth round (126th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. After posting his best season record in the QMJHL, Poulin signed a three-year entry level contract.

“I just signed (a contract) this summer so it’s different being here (at camp) from the last two years. I’m really excited,” Poulin said. “It’s the best of the junior guys in here so the level is just that much better.”

While both goaltenders are excited to be at the Islanders Rookie Camp this week, they wouldn’t be there without the proper credentials.

In just two games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers before his injury, Koskinen went 1-1, posting a 2.45 goals against average and .902 save percentage. In March, the rookie goaltender was assigned to Utah for rehab where he recorded a 6-0 record, earning a 2.50 goals against average and .924 save percentage.

Before coming to America, Koskinen played for the Espoo Blues of the Champions Hockey League in Finland, where he earned marks high enough to rank him as the second best available European goaltender in the 2009 draft.

In the past four seasons, Poulin has played for the Victoriaville Tigers of the QMJHL where he posted his best record last season. The rookie goaltender earned 35 wins in 54 games during the 2009-10 season, earning a 2.63 goals against average and .916 save percentage.

Coach Gordon couldn’t be more happy with his goaltending roster.

“When you look at our team, we have probably more depth in goaltending than any other organization and that doesn’t even include (Anders) Nilsson, who is over in Sweden,” Gordon said. “So we’re very fortunate that we have the prospects that we do.”

“We obviously have Dwayne (Roloson) and Ricky (DiPietro) here, but certainly at some point (Koskinen and Poulin) are going to get their opportunity, whether it’s a rookie game or what they do down in Bridgeport, you want to leave a favorable impression every time they play and both those guys have great character and great abilities,” Gordon continued.

The Islanders will rely on Roloson and DiPietro this coming season, but Koskinen and Poulin have a great chance to showcase their skills when they play in the Rookie Games these next few days.-Dyan LeBourdais

Notes and quotes:

The players spent the first day of training camp learning Head Coach Scott Gordon's systems, and that theme carried over into Day 2. Today's practice was nearly as long as yesterday's, clocking in at just under two hours, and the focus perhaps went a step further with the rookies' first game just a day away. The second half of practice included work on breakouts through the neutral zone, as well as positioning on the penalty kill and power play. Islanders 2008 fourth round (102nd overall) draft pick David Ullstrom was all ears, putting into practice the concepts Coach Gordon is implementing.

"We worked pretty hard out there today, and there were small things to correct and a lot of things to learn in these new systems," Ullstrom said. "It was definitely a good day and we learned a lot. It's very helpful when (Scott Gordon) speaks to me one-on-one because I don't completely get some of the drills, but it's a lot easier when he explains them to me one-on-one."

-Jamie Palatini

Tuesday, September 14, 2010
2:20 PM

Checking in after Day 2, players were on the ice for aout 1:45. Coach Gordon definitely saw progress in the rookies today, and that was his highlight of the day:

“I really liked that the guys were sharp. They took the information that we gave them yesterday, and we had a video session before practice today. Even though the execution wasn’t there yesterday, they took what we said and carried it forward. You could see that they were learning.”

Check out this TwitVid from Rhett Rakhshani.

-Dyan LeBourdais

Monday, September 13, 2010
5:35 PM

Notes and quotes:

It was announced last Friday that New York Islanders Goaltending Coach Mike Dunham will be inducted to the University of Maine’s Sports Hall of Fame on September 24.

Today, after coming off the ice from Day 1 of Rookie Camp, Dunham said: “It’s an honor to go in. It’s exciting. It feels like it was ages ago that I was playing there, and time goes by quickly. It will be nice to get back up there and see some familiar faces and relive the old days. It’s going to be a lot of fun to be able to take my daughters up there.”

One of his former teammates, General Manager Garth Snow chimed in on the subject, “I’ve very excited for Mike. It’s a well deserved honor. He was a great team mate and a great roommate during that time. Whenever you have a team that was as successful as our team was, there are going to be a lot of guys get an honor like this.”

As for having the decorated goalie on the coaching staff Snow added, “He’s a big part of our success here.”

Bridgeport Sound Tigers Head Coach Jack Capuano and his staff worked alongside Scott Gordon and the Islanders coaching staff during the first day of rookie camp. Capuano is entering his fourth season as the Sound Tigers head coach, and understands the importance of the process leading up to the season.

"We've got great communication between the Islanders and Sound Tigers coaching staffs," Capuano said. "Day 1 isn't really about conditioning, but about more or less about going through the systems and techniques that (Scott Gordon) wants."

UNIONDALE -- After a two hour practice at Iceworks in Syosset, which tested the rookies’ stamina as well as their ability to take direction, Islanders prospect David Ullstrom left the ice feeling like he had achieved something on his first day out on the ice with the Islanders Head Coach Scott Gordon.

“There are a bunch of new guys here that don’t really know the system, so there’s a lot of things we had to stop and correct. So it takes a while, but after a couple practices we will get better and better,” the left winger said.

Ullstrom, a native of Jonkoping, Sweden, is used to playing on an Olympic sized sheet of ice, so he knows there will be an adjustment period with his game, but he looking forward to the challenge of playing in the United States this season.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Ullstrom said. “It’s going to be exciting. I like the small ice. It’s a faster game over here. There are more shots. I think it’s my type of game for that kind of hockey so it’s going to be a fun year I think.”

Drafted by the Islanders in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Ullstrom has been to the United States for Mini Camps in the past, but the 21-year-old made his Training Camp debut Monday morning. Since Gordon knows that Ullstrom is new to the smaller ice surface, he knows the winger will have a lot to learn over the course of the week.

“There will be a little bit of an adjustment period,” said Gordon. “He’ll [Ullstrom will] find out pretty quickly there’s not as much time and space. In practices he probably won’t notice as much as he will on Wednesday and Thursday when we play against Boston’s rookies. You can actually lose yourself on an Olympic sheet of ice and give yourself more time, so he’ll learn quickly when he gets knocked down a couple of times.”

But according to Gordon, that’s really what Day One of Rookie Camp is all about. He wants to teach the rookies about the Islanders system of play to get them ready for there scrimmages against Boston on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

One thing is for sure, Ullstrom is excited about playing in Boston. “I’m just looking forward to getting the season going,” Ullstrom said. “I’ve had a really long summer so it’s just fun to get back on the ice and get some quick games in.”

-Dyan LeBourdais

Monday, September 13, 2010
3:17 PM

Uniondale -- Day One of Rookie Camp is done. What a great feeling to be back at the rink, realizing you have not dressed warm enough to spend two plus hours standing at the glass.

Kicking things off on our Training Camp Blog is the Highlight of the Day from Islanders Head Coach Scott Gordon:

"Everything went smooth. Guys were attentive. I think the best part is we are excited about the amount of quality prospects we have. You talk about rebuilding your organization, its not just at the NHL level, it’s at the American League level as well. When you think of the kids that are going back to Juniors or college, there is a long list of players that have the ability to play, and we are excited about that."

Also, newyorkislanders.com was able to spend a few minutes catching up with prospect Casey Cizikas. Check out the video.

If you are not following us on Twitter, you should! We are updating information and pictures from camp all the time.

-Katrina Doell

Monday, September 13, 2010
10:00 AM

Training camp 2010 is here. It's an exciting time to be a part of the Islanders family, whether it's as a fan, an employee or a Long Islander. Things are happening here on Long Island, and NewYorkIslanders.com looks forward to bringing you the coverage you are craving. So, check in with Training Camp Daily often to see what's new and exciting.